Dennis Seidenberg has more points than any member of the Vancouver Canucks. The 35-year-old New York Islanders defenceman has eight points — four goals and four assists — and the four top producers for the Canucks have but six points apiece. It speaks to the mantra of what this numbing NHL season has become — a hope and a prayer.

It’s the hope that being harder to play against through better neutral-zone structure and own-zone awareness will spark something in transition. That’s where the prayer comes in.

And that’s where it looked like Daniel Sedin might help salvage this telling six-game road trip, but a 4-2 loss Monday matched March Madness when the Canucks also went through a nine-game losing streak.

Cal Clutterbuck scores the game winner on Ryan Miller.

The issue wasn’t settled until midway through the third period when goalie Ryan Miller kicked a hotshot rebound off his right pad into the high slot and Cal Clutterbuck snapped it up high. Less than two minutes later, Andrew Ladd was credited with a goal that was going wide, deflected off Nikita Tryamkin and past a surprised Miller to the glove side. Those goals overshadowed a lot of early good.

“I thought we played well the first two periods and it just turned into a frustrating affair,” said Miller. “Three of their goals, our guys go to block them and they end up in favourable situations.

“Just weird bounces and it’s just kind of the way it’s going. We’re going to have to find a way to get past some of this stuff and settle in. Their fourth goal, the thing is going about three- or four-feet wide and I don’t know if it even hit Ladd, it hit Tryamkin.

“We have to find ways to rise up when games unfold that way.”

Daniel Sedin not only opened the scoring, just the second time in 13 games that the Canucks have struck first, he also said after the morning skate that he’s happy to win games 1-0 or 2-1. He has to be. The league’s lowest-scoring team was blanked in four of its six previous outings. They were also playing without Jannik Hansen (shoulder) and Chris Tanev (foot), who have returned home for further injury evaluation.

The Canucks played the recalled Michael Chaput on Monday and sat Jake Virtanen. They purposely played Miller, arguably the team’s most valuable player, who made 47 saves here last January in a 2-1 shootout win. He then made 46 saves two nights later in a 3-2 overtime loss at Madison Square Garden, so who knows how Tuesday will play out in the crease?

Miller would like some redemption, but a rested Jacob Markstrom might be the better option to keep Miller fresh for Thursday in Detroit.

The Canucks also played the brain-cramp card Monday. Locked in a 2-2 draw in the third period, Jack Skille took an embellishment minor at centre ice while battling with Thomas Hickey and, on the ensuing power play, Miller was forced to make a tough toe save. Imagine if that had been the deciding goal? Image the navel-gazing?

There are also other problems.

Erik Gudbranson’s ill-timed slide allowed Hickey ample time to get a shot away in the slot and start a rebound, tap-in scoring sequence. More down-low woes are becoming a concern for an obvious reason. That was supposed to be the no-go zone this season, not a free-pass zone.

And with the high-octane New York Rangers, who have won five straight and scored at least five goals in each outing, awaiting Tuesday on U.S. election night, it’s not going to get any easier. It’s going to get harder. Much harder.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

Two struggling teams and two coaches feeling the heat. Not only did the Canucks scratch winger Jake Virtanen, 20, the Islanders sat their two first-round picks from 2015 in Coquitlam winger Mathew Barzal and winger Anthony Beauvillier, both 19. Virtanen has logged 11:13, 8:33 and 7:13 in his last three outings and it’s obvious coach Willie Desjardins still doesn’t completely trust the second-year winger. He can skate and hit, but a lack of consistency — and just one assist in 10 games — and being stapled to the bench in the third period isn’t helping anyone.

Either get Virtanen to the AHL for ample playing and practice time or have the harder conversation about where you are as an organization. Is he a fit or perhaps trade bait in some sort of package? You don’t want to give up on youth, especially the sixth-overall pick in 2014, but the clock is ticking. Youth is being served everywhere and 98 rookies have played at least one NHL game this season.

IN A WORD:

PICKING: Daniel Sedin picked the pocket of centre Shane Prince at the Islanders’ blue-line and snapped a wrist shot past the glove of Jaroslav Halak for an unassisted goal.

WATCHING: Philip Larsen couldn’t get the puck through the neutral zone, didn’t retreat in time and watched Jason Chimera score after a loose puck was batted around.

HUSTLING: Bo Horvat shot from the slot, hustled wide to pounce on the rebound and fed a perfect cross-ice, power-play pass to Markus Granlund for a two-foot, tap-in putt.

WHAT WE LEARNED:

Alex Burrows was suspended three games for a late 2014 hit on Alexei Emelin. He doesn’t understand how Nazem Kadri escaped punishment for his predatory hit on Daniel Sedin. “We’re confused for sure,” said Burrows. “We don’t know if it (ruling) is going to go either way. The intention should be punished more than the end (injury) result. We (players’ association) told owners of a grid — you jump it’s one game, hit to the head another game and so is a repeat offender. Then you have a picture of what to expect.”

ADVANCED STATS

-8: Plus-minus rating for Philip Larsen after first-period faux pas. He’s having all kinds of problems defending — and that was expected — but his puck moving has been disappointing at best.

2: Second-period scoring chances for winger Loui Eriksson, including one in his feet at the top of the crease during dominant first-line shift. Second chance in slot. Somewhat encouraging.

-5: Even-strength Corsi for struggling, goalless winger Sven Baertschi after two periods. Had a Corsi For of seven and Corsi Against of 12 and 50-per -cent zone starts. Had no shots after 40 minutes.

80: Percentage of faceoffs won by recalled centre Michael Chaput after two periods. He went 4-for-5 and brought another dimension to the fourth line with size and underrated skills.

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